I'm With You
by HockeyGirl35
Summary: A missing scene between Oliver and Slade about the man Oliver left in the cave. Friendship only!


Author's Note: This is sort of a missing scene I did because we never saw Oliver tell Slade about the man in the cave but in the final episode of season 1, Slade seemed to know why Oliver tried to attack the radio operator/cave guy. This is the first story I've written that doesn't use an actual episode as a guide so I'm sorry if it's terrible! Also, I don't own any of this and all mistakes are mine.

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Slade was finally healing well enough from the infection in his wounded arm to be out of bed, though him and Oliver decided to hold off training at least for another day. The two were hanging around in the grass outside the plane, occasionally talking but mostly just relaxing in the fresh air. It was one of the few days on the island that it wasn't pouring down rain but actually sunny and even a bit warm. Slade was once again looking at his wound and thinking how much he would like to kill Fyers when another thought suddenly occurred to him. Looking up at Oliver, who was seated next to him, he asked, "You remember when I asked if you'd gotten into any trouble out on the island?"

Oliver glanced over at him in surprise, honestly he didn't expect Slade to remember that. While his fever had been lower at that point, he had also been exhausted. Oliver still felt guilty about that whole situation but he only nodded and waited for Slade to continue.

Slade watched Oliver and, seeing he wasn't volunteering anything, said, "You told me no. But that's not the truth, is it?"

Oliver didn't know how to reply, technically he was telling the truth, what happened wouldn't really constitute getting in trouble. He finally replied, "I didn't lie."

Slade rolled his eyes, sometimes dealing with Oliver was like dealing with a toddler. "Alright then, how about you give me the whole truth? Did you or did you not run into trouble?" Why was Oliver being like this anyway? If there was some danger close by, it would be nice for Slade to know about it.

Oliver sighed with irritation, there was no deterring Slade. He could see why the guy became a spy, not only was he incredibly persistent but his curiosity was unmatched by anyone Oliver had ever met. "Look, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle!" he abruptly stopped, not meaning to let that slip out loud. Crap, he thought to himself, Slade really wasn't going to drop it now.

Sure enough, Slade caught his slip as soon as he said it, "So there was something! I knew it. What happened? Was it Fyers?"

Oliver hesitated a moment before admitting in a low voice, "It wasn't anything like that. It was a man in the cave where Yao Fai kept the herbs."

Slade tilted his head, not understanding, "A man? Like, what? A soldier?"

Oliver shook his head, "No, he was tied up and had obviously been beaten. I asked him where he came from and he said he was with a school group whose boat went down. He said he was the only survivor."

Slade had no idea where to begin asking questions but he finally settled on one, "Did he say why he was tied up?"

Oliver replied, "Yeah, he said some soldiers captured him after he washed up on shore...actually, I asked if they were soldiers and he said yes, so..." he paused for a moment before continuing quietly, "He asked me to untie him and...and help him." He'd been trying to forget this whole thing and hoped Slade would just drop it. No such luck.

Slade had to strain to hear that last part as Oliver was almost whispering but when he heard what Oliver said, a dozen possible scenarios began running through his mind. Like, was this guy lying? Was he working with Fyers? Where was he now? He took a breath and looked at Oliver, noticing how tense he was and correctly surmising that Oliver was still keeping something from him. Keeping his voice soft so Oliver wouldn't get defensive, he asked, "What did you do?"

Oliver once again hesitated before blurting out, "No. I told him no. I told him I didn't know him and I just...I just left him...tied up in that cave..." Oliver broke off, hanging his head in guilt, seeing the image of the man's face as Oliver walked out of the cave, hearing him scream for Oliver to free him...

Slade was surprised, he had thought for sure the kid would've released the man without a second thought, as hung up as he was on integrity and principles. Confused, he asked, "Why didn't you let him go? Bring him back here with you?"

Oliver glanced up at him but quickly dropped his gaze back to the ground, absentmindedly playing with the grass as he explained, "I was going to, I had my knife out, getting ready to cut his hands loose but..." he paused and Slade gave him some time to gather his thoughts. Oliver figured he should just be honest at this point and after a moment continued, "All of a sudden, I thought of you." Realizing that would probably confuse Slade more, he hurried to explain, "I mean, you were so sick and I had no idea who this guy was. Some things he was telling me just weren't adding up. And he denied it but if he was working for Fyers, he could follow me back to the plane and you wouldn't have been able to fight and I don't think I would have been able to protect both of us." He suddenly stopped speaking, taking in a deep breath before adding more slowly, "I couldn't take that chance. You aren't just my only friend here, you're my best friend. I probably shouldn't have left the guy there because Fyers' men probably came back and killed him, but I-...I can live with that. What I couldn't live with is something happening to you because of me. Especially after everything you've done for me...so...yeah..." He finally fell silent, waiting for Slade's reaction. He wasn't sure what to expect. He'd been beating himself up for it since it happened. The way he figured it, he had signed the man's death warrant when he left him tied up in that cave.

Slade couldn't believe what the kid was saying. It seemed that against all odds, Slade's training was finally paying off. The things Slade had been trying to teach him were finally sinking in. He was incredibly proud of Oliver right then; maybe he could be turned into a competent soldier after all. What he couldn't understand was why Oliver still wouldn't look him in the eye. Was he still not telling Slade the whole truth? Frowning, he asked, "Is that all?"

Oliver looked at him sharply, "Isn't that enough? I pretty much just killed someone who could be completely innocent. Hell, he's pretty much what I was when I first washed up here!"

At those words, it clicked in Slade's mind. While he had been viewing the situation as this man being a possible enemy combatant and Oliver using a mission/team mentality, Oliver saw the situation as leaving an innocent man to die the way he himself would have if Yao Fai hadn't gotten him to safety, leading him to feel guilty. Slade sighed and shook his head, it was moments like this that served as an abrupt reminder that Oliver was not another recruit being prepared for a war he volunteered to fight, but that he was a kid that had been thrown into these circumstances without any choice in the matter and was just doing his best to survive. With these thoughts in mind, Slade slung his uninjured arm over Oliver's shoulders as he told him simply, "Thanks."

Oliver met his eyes, confusion evident on his face, "What for?"

Slade smiled at him, "You had my back. Watched out for me when I couldn't. That's what being partners is all about, mate."

There was a short pause as Oliver contemplated that before he finally smiled back at Slade, "Oh, so we're partners now, huh?"

"Well, yeah," Slade said, and continued with a smirk, "Out of necessity, of course. No way would I team up with a pansy like yourself in normal circumstances."

Oliver laughed and rolled his eyes, relaxing for the first time since he'd come back to the plane, "You know, might not be a good idea to run your mouth when you've only got the use of one arm."

Slade chuckled at that, "Kid, I could take you down with both hands tied behind my back." He and Oliver continued their banter, the insults jokingly thrown back and forth indicating things were back to normal. They would be back in the battle soon enough but for right now, they were content to relax. For the first time since either of them had ended up on this island, they felt at peace.


End file.
